Actually, there is... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

The ACR PLB is 100% reliable. ACR goes to extreme lengths to make sure it is. Yes, it is $650, but for those holding out for a unit that is completely reliable in the case you might not make it out of the situation, your wait is over (actually it was over as of July 2004). In the overall scheme of things, the ACR makes much more sense anyway. It doesn't have a subscription fee, it's not owned by a commercial entity which may go out of business, it's much more powerful and durable, and it WILL save your life (unless your in a cave).

Often, when I get a new electronic gadget, I find myself playing with all the features. This lasts for about 2 weeks. After that, the novelty wears off (maybe I'm weird that way). I find many will use the tracking feature of the SPOT until they find that it really doesn't work that well and it's wasting valuable battery power. They then will keep it for emergencies (if their smart), but in this they will be disappointed. The SPOT will never be a true Personal Locator Beacon unless they invest billions of dollars in new satellites, ground stations, etc.

In order for the unit to improve, they would have to charge significantly more for the unit itself or for the annual fee. The reason why they are giving them away is to capitalize on the annual fee. They might change the look of the unit to help drive sales, but the unit is pretty much what it's going to be for the foreseeable future. This is my opinion of course.